Bombing Cambodia

Dot Density Map

Photo by Boudewijn Huysmans on Unsplash

Fish Island, Kampot, Cambodia

This is not an invasion of Cambodia….
— US President Nixon, Speech on Cambodia, April 30, 1970

Ingest

bombing events with coordinates and other details

df <- read.csv("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/cambodia-sites-targeted-in-us-bombing-1965-1975.csv", header = TRUE)
head( df, n = 10 )

Wrangle & Analyze

simplify and aggregate

df_simplified <- df %>% mutate(LATR = round(LAT, digits = 3), LONR = round(LON, digits = 2)) %>% 
  group_by(LATR, LONR) %>% 
  summarise(LOAD_LBS = sum(LOAD_LBS), COUNT = n())

head( df_simplified, n = 10 )

Load Maps

borders and physical features

# Load map sources
# ++++++++++++++++++++
# using the same map sources up to adm2 which contains info of area of district in each region in Uganda
adm0 <- st_read("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/maps/khm-admbnda-adm0-gov.geojson")
adm1 <- st_read("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/maps/khm-admbnda-adm1-gov.geojson")
adm2 <- st_read("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/maps/khm-admbnda-adm2-gov.geojson")
adm3 <- st_read("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/maps/khm-admbnda-adm3-gov.geojson")

soil_fertility <- st_read("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/maps/soil-fertility.geojson")

rivers <- st_read("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/maps/khm_rivl_gov.geojson")
lakes <- st_read("archetypes/bombing-cambodia/maps/khm-lakea-riva-gov.geojson")

# view to read properties
# head(as.data.frame(adm0))
# head(as.data.frame(adm1))
# head(as.data.frame(adm2))
# head(as.data.frame(adm3))
# head(as.data.frame(soil_fertility))
# head(as.data.frame(rivers))
# head(as.data.frame(lakes))

# used for color scale
# unique(soil_fertility$type_en)

Plot

borders and bombs

theme_opts <- theme(
  text = element_text(family = "inconsolata"), 
  plot.title = element_text(color = "black", size = 18, face = "bold"),
  plot.background = element_blank(),
  axis.text = element_blank(),
  axis.line = element_blank(),
  axis.ticks = element_blank(),
  axis.title = element_blank(),
  panel.grid = element_blank(),
  panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
  panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
  panel.background = element_blank(),
  panel.border = element_blank(),
  legend.position = "none",
  legend.title = element_blank()
)

transparent_fill <- rgb(0, 0, 0, max = 255, alpha = 0, names = "transparent")

v1 <- ggplot() +
  geom_sf(data = adm0, color="#333333", fill = transparent_fill, size=2.0) +
  # geom_sf(data = adm1, color="#333333", fill = transparent_fill, size=1.5) +
  geom_sf(data = adm2, color="#333333", fill = transparent_fill, size=1.0) +
  # geom_sf(data = adm3, color="#333333", fill = transparent_fill, size=0.25) +
  geom_sf(data = lakes, color="#abc8cb", fill = "#abc8cb", size=0.25) + 
  # geom_point(data = df, aes(x = LON, y = LAT), size = 2, color="red" ) +
  geom_point(data = df_simplified, aes(x = LONR, y = LATR, size = LOAD_LBS, alpha = COUNT), color="red" ) +
  scale_size_continuous(range = c(2,5)) +
  scale_alpha_continuous(range = c(0.2, 0.8)) +
  scale_x_continuous() +
  scale_y_continuous() +
  coord_sf() +
  theme_bw() +
  labs(x = NULL, # Longitude
      y = NULL, # Latitude
      title = NULL, 
      subtitle = NULL) +
  theme_opts

girafe(ggobj = v1, width_svg = 16, height_svg = 13,
       options = list(opts_sizing(rescale = TRUE, width = 0.5)))

Plot

borders, soil types, and bombs

This view is based on the research “How War Changes Land: Soil Fertility, Unexploded Bombs, and the Underdevelopment of Cambodia” and The Economist graphic “Blood and Soil” describing how farmers avoid fertile areas that may contain unexploded ordnance.

soil_palette <- c(
  "Low Fertility Soil" = "#dcd6be",
  "Medium Fertility Soil" = "#abc6b0",
  "High Fertility Soil" = "#87ad45"
)

v2 <- ggplot() +
  geom_sf(data = soil_fertility, aes(fill = type_en, color = type_en ), size=1.0, alpha = 0.3 ) +
  # geom_sf(data = adm0, color="#333333", fill = transparent_fill, size=2.0) +
  # geom_sf(data = adm1, color="#333333", fill = transparent_fill, size=1.5) +
  geom_sf(data = lakes, color="#abc8cb", fill = "#abc8cb", size=0.25) +
  # geom_point(data = df, aes(x = LON, y = LAT), size = 2, color="red" ) +
  geom_point(data = df_simplified, aes(x = LONR, y = LATR, size = LOAD_LBS, alpha = COUNT), shape=21, color="red", fill="red" ) +
  scale_size_continuous(range = c(2,5)) +
  scale_alpha_continuous(range = c(0.2, 0.8)) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = soil_palette) +
  scale_color_manual(values = soil_palette) +
  scale_x_continuous() +
  scale_y_continuous() +
  coord_sf() +
  theme_bw() +
  labs(x = NULL, # Longitude
      y = NULL, # Latitude
      title = "US bombing between 1965 to 1975", 
      subtitle = NULL) +
  theme_opts

girafe(ggobj = v2, width_svg = 16, height_svg = 13,
       options = list(opts_sizing(rescale = TRUE, width = 0.5)))

References

citations for narrative and data sources

Narrative and Data sources: US bombing in Cambodia (1965-1975), OD Mekong Datahub, GO